Voltage-gated calcium channels are the engines that drive the synapse. They are required for vesicle exocytosis, and it is now clear that these molecules are critically important to the dynamics of formation, maintenance, adaption and elimination that underlie changes in neural networks. Therefore, as we study these molecules and their mode of action, we will gain a much clearer understanding of the basic assembly of the nervous system. VGCCs have been linked to human diseases and disorders, and our goal is to further the understanding of how these proteins contribute to neuronal development. Using animals that have mutations that inactivate or hyperactive synaptic VGCCs we will obtain transcriptome profiles to identify genes that are transcriptionally regulated by VGCC functional status. We will then target those genes for knockdown by RNAi to find molecules that contribute to VGCC-dependent synapse addition. Finally we will seek to visualize how calcium may be dynamic during times when synapses are being modified during development to correlate intracellular levels of calcium with specific changes in synapses. The organization of the C. elegans neuromuscular system provides a powerful genetic and cell biological model to study development. The primary motorneurons have many similarities to vertebrate CNS neurons, which are more difficult to study in vivo. C. elegans may provide important insights into the mechanisms that underlie the formation and spacing of these types of synapses in vivo.

Public Health Relevance

The work of nervous systems is largely driven by small molecular gates called synapses. Understanding how these structures grow and change as a property of activity is essential to our ability to diagnose, understand and treat disorders of the human nervous system, ranging from epilepsy and neuropathic pain to mood disorders, mental retardation or autism.